Whatever it takes
by Sparkles and Rainbows
Summary: All characters included where I can, please read and review! Xx
1. Chapter 1

**Another new one! An idea came to me earlier that wouldn't leave me alone, so thought I may as well write it up and see what people think of it. There will be more Zax later on in the story but I wanted to try something a bit different for this chapter. Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

Zoe woke up to a pounding headache, similar to the ones she had on a regular basis when she had drank too much. But this was different, not like a hangover type of headache. As she attempted to open her eyes she realised that she could taste blood in her mouth and feel the same sticky liquid trickling down her face and neck.

She tried again to open her eyes, this time succeeding, but after she saw the amount of blood that she was lying in she wished that she hadn't. The pain was unreal, like nothing she had ever experienced before. Aside from her head and neck, the main source of her pain seemed to be coming from her stomach. Raising her head ever so slightly she could see a deep slit across her lower abdomen that was bleeding profusely and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Looking around her for her bag, she noted that it had been taken. Brilliant. That was all she needed. She had no way of contacting anyone and she had no idea where she was as it was pitch black in the small alleyway. There was a streetlight, but it looked as though it hadn't worked or been used in years as there was no glass or bulb in it. All she could do was hope that someone would find her, and sooner rather than later.

Connie picked up her jogging pace as the rain became heavier and heavier until it became torrential. She stopped when she heard a coughing sound, instinctively looking behind her and shrugging when she couldn't immediately see anything. When she heard it again, louder this time, she followed her instincts and followed the source of the sound, into the alleyway.

"Hello?" Connie's voice was cautious, and she took her torch out of her pocket as she scanned the narrow area. She stopped dead when the yellow light illuminated a figure lying on the floor, blood all around her.

"H-he-help" Zoe's voice was quiet and shaky, the complete opposite to her usual strong and professional tone. Connie barely recognised her, this was nothing like the woman that she worked with, and her heart went out to her. For all their arguments and disagreements before Zoe had resigned as clinical lead, she knew that she couldn't just leave her there. The poor woman was shaking violently from the cold wind and the torrential rain that had soaked through what remained of her clothing.

Reaching into her bag she pulled out a jacket which she wrapped as best she could around her colleague's shoulders without causing her any further pain before moving and kneeling down in front of her.

"Hello" she said softly, watching as Zoe's eyes opened and looked at her, suddenly realising who had found her "Its okay, I'm going to help you Zoe. I need to call an ambulance…" her voice tailed off as she took out her phone and dialled 999.

Once she knew that the ambulance was on its way, Connie took the opportunity to look over the woman's injuries more thoroughly. She pressed down harder on the spare top in an attempt to slow down the rapid flow of blood; noticing that the blood was beginning to thicken and clot, she glanced at Zoe, making eye contact with her and giving her a small smile in an attempt to reassure her.

It shocked her to see tear marks down her colleague's cheeks, her make up smudged and more fresh tears pouring down her face. She didn't know why it shocked her so much, given her injuries she must have been in agony and terrified; but she had never seen her like this before and it was hard to take in.

"I-I'm…" Zoe's voice made Connie jump "s-sorry" she just about managed to say the second word before she started coughing violently.

Realising that she was struggling to breathe, Connie removed the jacket that was around her shoulders and placed it underneath her head which seemed to help somewhat "What for?" she said, smiling genuinely at her "It's in the past, Zoe. Let's leave it there, yeah? Right now, let's concentrate on getting you into hospital so you can get better"

The blaring sirens of the ambulance interrupted their short conversation as Dixie jumped out; looking around her "Hello, ambulance service?" she called out.

"Down here!" Connie shouted, getting up and jogging over to her to fill her in as she waved Jeff over "Its Zoe" she said quietly, registering the look of shock on their faces.

"What, our Zoe?" Jeff asked, struggling to believe what he had just been told "What happened?"

"I don't know. I was out running and I found her" Connie said quietly, glancing back down the alley. Zoe whimpered as another wave of pain washed over her "Okay Zoe, the paramedics are here now, they're going to get you to hospital"

"Okay…listen, Connie, why don't you wait in the ambulance love? You've done a brilliant job, but you must be frozen and the last thing we need is for you to get ill as well" Dixie said gently, ushering her towards the ambulance and gesturing for Polly to look after her whilst she saw to her own patient "Hiya Zo" she said, kneeling down in front of her and inserting an IV line so that she could get some fluids into her; it was a good thing that Connie had found her and managed to slow the bleeding down, otherwise her veins would have shut down completely "Its Dixie, Jeff's gone to get the kit so that we can get you into hospital"

…

"Right, this is Zoe Hanna, 39 years old, found in an alleyway with multiple injuries…" Jeff announced as they entered the ED with Connie not far behind them.

As they went through into resus, Max came over to Connie "What happened? Is she going to be okay?" his voice was thick with emotion and his eyes were cloudy with tears.

"I hope so. Max, you should really stay here. You're too close. So am I apparently, and I'm clinical lead here!" Connie said gently "They'll do their best to help her"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thank you for all the lovely reviews from the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy this one. Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

Sitting in the reception area of the ED, Connie ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. This wasn't exactly how she had planned to spend her Saturday evening. Then again, she highly doubted that it was how Zoe had planned to spend it, either. She glanced over to the young porter who was pacing up and down the nearby corridor; he'd been at it since Zoe had been brought in and he wasn't showing any signs of stopping anytime soon.

After what seemed like hours but in reality was only 20 minutes had passed, Tess came out of resus and almost simultaneously, both Max and Connie turned to look at her, knowing that she would have news about Zoe "How is she?" their voices spoke at exactly the same time, and even to a total stranger concern could easily be heard.

Tess took a seat next to them and placed her hands in her lap "Honestly, it's too soon to tell. They're taking up to theatre then. We'll know more after her surgery. It's lucky that you were there, Connie" this had to be the hardest part of her job by far, without a doubt; breaking bad news to colleagues, relatives or friends, and it didn't get any easier no matter how much practice she had had at it.

Whilst Max looked like he was about to punch the next dodgy looking bloke that came through the ED doors just in case it had been them who had hurt Zoe, Connie was calmer although the worry for her colleague showed clearly in her features. Sometimes having advanced medical knowledge could have its downfalls as well as advantages; she had seen Zoe's injuries and knew how serious they were.

Tess spoke again after Zoe had been taken to theatre and the pair had had a chance to speak to her briefly "I should warn you of this now, and I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but Zoe showed clear signs of having been assaulted sexually as well as physically…" she didn't get chance to say anything else as Max stood up abruptly, cutting her off "No! You must have got it wrong, mistaken it for something else…" the normally so confident and, at times, arrogant porter suddenly appeared to the two women as someone much younger, almost like a teenager.

As Max turned away from them and towards the wall, Connie shot Tess a look as she called over to him "Max? Max, come on, I know you're upset but this won't help. Zoe's going to need you now more than ever, and you can't help her if security ban you for smashing something, or someone, up, can you?" she knew that her words might have sounded a little harsh given the situation, but she needed to get through to him before he did something that would get him into trouble and that he would later come to regret. She waited for a moment, hoping that he would see sense and make the right descision, and she was relieved when he turned around and walked back towards them, looking at the ground. When he flung his arms around her and began to cry, Connie was shocked to say the least. This certainly wasn't what she had expected, and it took a couple of seconds for her maternal, caring instincts to take the place of the shock and hug him back, sensing that she was providing a source of comfort to the young man.

Connie nodded towards Tess as Max pulled away but remained sitting near her and she continued "…so there will need to be a full physical examination at a later date, and the police have already been informed. I'm so sorry. I'll leave you to it"

"Thank you Tess" Connie half smiled at her as the older nurse nodded and made her way back into resus. She glanced over towards Max and smiled softly at him "She'll be okay, you know. She's a fighter" she said quietly, receiving only a returned glance and a neutral expression that gave nothing away from the young porter before he turned away from her once more and began to walk in the direction of the staffroom. Something told her that he would be here until there was news of Zoe and how she was doing.

…

Sat on a hard plastic chair in the corridor of the ICU ward, Connie allowed her thoughts to wander as the events of the night hit her. No matter how many cases she had been given that involved people who had been assaulted or raped could have prepared her for finding Zoe in the alleyway. She had never seen her like that before; she had looked so broken and vulnerable. Vulnerable. That was one word that Connie never thought she would say about Zoe, she had always come across as being fearless, but now she realised that that was a front. So many people did it, including herself, and it shocked and horrified her to see her colleague look so broken, the layers of bravado stripped away as she lay on the ground fearing for her life.

…

Max took a seat next to Zoe's bed, retching as he saw the intubation tube and the ventilator. Although he knew that it was helping her, and it was keeping her there with him, it just looked so, foreign. The whole situation seemed so surreal, almost like he was living in a nightmare and any minute now he would wake up.

He took her hand in his, kissing it lightly he ran his fingers through her hair, inwardly cursing as he felt tears building up in his eyes "I hope you can hear me, Zoe. It's Max, Connie's outside, she wanted to see how you were before she went. You had better get better, I don't know what I'd do without you, what anyone would do without you. You mean the world to me, don't you dare leave me"

Smiling at her for a few moments, he looked at her properly, noticing all the scars, stitches and dressings and was amazed at how she could still look so flawless. The lead surgeon had come to speak to them after her operation; she was in a bad way, they didn't know if she would make it through the night. Her body had gone into a natural coma in an attempt to heal itself. If she did, her chances of survival and recovery were greatly increased although she would inevitably be in hospital for a very long time. He had reeled off a long list of injuries, many of which Max had never heard of before but he knew were extremely serious; fractures to the base of the skull and facial bones, including eye sockets, a bleed in the brain which they had stemmed, multiple fractured ribs, punctured left lung that they had repaired, fractured pelvis…the list of injuries had seemed to be endless, and after a while he had stopped listening.

Squeezing her hand ever so gently to let her know that he was still there with her and that he wasn't going anywhere he began to speak again before he was interrupted by a knock at the door "I love you Zoe Hanna, I want you to know that…" he looked up to see Connie stood at the entrance to the room.

…

"Can I come in?" she asked quietly, looking over to her colleague. Max nodded slowly and kissed Zoe on the forehead before standing up and exiting the room.

"Honestly, Zoe. I knew that I would have to keep an eye on you, but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind!" Connie smiled, mimicking Max's earlier actions and taking the woman's hand in hers "Max is completely smitten with you, you know. He really loves you, he was devastated when we brought you in. He's scared of losing you, we all are" she paused for a moment, thinking carefully about what to say next "You had better wake up, we need you in the ED. You're one of the best consultants I have ever worked with and I need you downstairs where you belong. Don't you worry, I'll make sure that you get the best treatment there is, you have to come back to us Zoe" Connie took a deep breath and swallowed the lump that she felt forming in her throat as she looked at her colleague. The next 24 hours would determine if she would survive, as well as to what extent if she did. She made the descision there and then that she wouldn't leave the hospital until she had more of an idea of what was happening, she wanted Zoe to know that she had people there with her, and she was sure that she wouldn't be short of visitors if she pulled through.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far; I had no idea how people would react to this story, especially as I have never written Connie before, or a lot of Zax so I hope its alright! Hopefully this chapter will be more positive! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

_6 days later…_

Max looked at Zoe, his hand once again tightly holding onto hers and tracing circles on her palm "I'm so proud of you, you proved everyone wrong" he smiled "though, you had me worried for a while back there, crashing on us like that!" at around 2am, her stats had dropped dramatically, and a team of doctors and nurses had rushed into the room; about an hour later they managed to stabilise her condition and thankfully she had managed to maintain that state. She was no longer classed as being in a coma, and was no longer attached to the ventilator as her lung had recovered enough for her to breathe independently but she had a nasal oxygen tube to help her out.

Every now and then she would wince or make a quiet sound; she hadn't opened her eyes yet but Max guessed that she was having flashbacks to the attack and each time he would comfort her by kissing her forehead and stroking her hair whilst whispering soothing words to her and hope that she could hear him.

He had been sat with her for around half an hour when he realised that he really needed the toilet, he didn't want to leave her on her own but Connie was sat in the ICU staffroom, having refused to leave the ward until her colleague was stabilised. Come to think of it, he was starving as well and he knew that everyone in the ED would be waiting for some news and updates of her condition "Zo, I'm gonna have to leave you a while, but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you"

…

Connie looked up when she heard a small whimper come from the bed and it startled her for a moment until she put two and two together and realised that Zoe must be having a flashback "Its okay Zoe, you're safe. You're in hospital, and you're being looked after" she paused for a moment, waiting to see if there was any response. Watching her closely, she smiled when she saw her colleague's eyes slowly open, but frowned when she noted that they were glazed over with fear, the same look that she had had in her eyes when she had first found her in the alleyway "Zoe? Zoe, its Connie, you're safe, I promise you that you're safe"

"N-no" Zoe's voice was quiet, barely louder than a whisper yet Connie heard it as clearly as if she had screamed it "Zoe" she repeated again, her tone firmer now.

Zoe blinked, looking around at her surroundings. A small tear dribbled down her cheek as fragments of her memory came to her, at first one by one then several all at once. It scared her; Zoe Hanna was fearless, she didn't get scared. At least she didn't think she did, until now. She was discovering a whole new aspect of herself and she wasn't sure that she liked it.

Spotting Connie sat on a plastic chair next to her bed confused her at first before she remembered that it had been her who had found her. The alleyway had been pitch black so she hadn't been able to see her, but her tone was unmistakable. Strong and confident, she reminded her of herself before all this. She tried to turn her head to look at her, but nausea quickly overcame her and she retched, gaining the attention of the lead consultant who instantly grabbed a kidney dish and held it in front of her while she was sick into it. Rational thinking was quickly taken over by frustration as her mind took her back to the night in the alleyway. Why hadn't she stopped him? Wait, no, there had been two people, or had it been three? Why had she allowed herself to be beaten and assaulted? Humiliated by men that were half her age?

Connie put the used dish in the bin, then turned her attention back to Zoe "It's good to see you awake. You had us worried there for a while" she said, her voice edged with a mixture of concern and relief for her colleague "you've been out of it for almost a week" she added, as if reading her mind "Max has been out of his mind with worry, we all have" she stopped when she noticed her trying to move but not managing it; her body still wasn't strong enough "Hey, don't rush yourself, Zoe. You might be awake but your body is still recovering…"

Tears of frustration, pain and fear rolled freely down Zoe's face. She felt completely helpless, at the mercy of mostly people that she had never met before, just like when she had been attacked "Do you want me to go, let you gather your thoughts? Or I could get Max?" Connie spoke quietly, unsure of how to react.

"Stay" Zoe's voice was shaky and barely audible, but Connie nodded and started to speak again "Look, Zoe, I can't imagine what you went through that night…" her voice tailed off as she looked back towards her colleague, this wasn't the Zoe that she knew, that she had worked with.

Zoe didn't know how to feel. It felt as if every emotion she had ever experienced, as well as several others that she hadn't, were all occurring at once, swirling around her head at top speed. She shut her eyes, hoping that by doing so she might be able to escape everything. What she hadn't anticipated was the effect that the sudden lack of light would have, and the triggers and memories that she now appeared to associate with the dark.

_*Flashback*_

_A hand pressed tightly to Zoe's throat, pushing her up against the freezing cold stone wall while another pair of hands held her own securely, not giving her a chance to escape "Let go" she said, although her voice was barely audible, only just above a whisper, hating the fact that she sounded so weak._

"_What was that?" one of them sneered "You don't like it? What, we not good enough for you, that it? You look the sort…"_

_Suddenly the grip on her hands was released and she felt herself being pushed harshly first against the wall and then to the floor…_

_*End Flashback*_

Zoe's eyes shot open and her pace of breathing quickened rapidly "Zoe? Its alright, you're in hospital and you're safe" Connie's voice was firm as she switched quickly back into doctor mode "I need you to slow down your breathing for me" she looked over to her, making eye contact with her she saw the fear in her eyes. Softening her tone a little she began to speak again "That's it, Zoe, that's good. Just keep breathing like that, in and out, in and out" Zoe coughed a few times before starting to retch and knowing that she was going to be sick, Connie grabbed a kidney dish and held it in front of her whilst she vomited into it, then disposed of it just as Max walked back into the room.

"Zoe! Zo, it's so good to see you awake!" Max exclaimed, giving Connie a questioning look as he noticed the tear marks down her cheeks. She mouthed 'panic attack' and he nodded, walking quickly around to the other side of her bed, taking her hand in his. He kissed it gently and watched as she attempted to turn her head slightly to the side to see him better but instead winced and screwed up her eyes as a wave of dizziness came over her "Zoe, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"

Connie looked over to the young porter, she could see how worried he was and decided to try and reassure him "She'll be okay. After a series of repeated injuries to the head and also after being unconscious for a long period of time, the brain tries to prevent you from moving by making you feel dizzy or sick in order to try and protect itself. It should pass after a day or so. Until then, just try not to move unless you have to, Zoe" she smiled at the pair of them "Right, I'll leave you to it for a while. I'd better get on with some paperwork I suppose" as she went to stand up, she felt a light squeeze on her hand "Okay? I'll come and see you later, get some rest"

Once she had left, Max leaned over so that he was closer to her, pulling the blankets further over her to keep her warm, smiling as he noticed her eyes shutting "Get some sleep, babe. I'll still be here when you wake up" he said quietly, moving a strand of hair from her eyes and stroking her hair as she fell asleep. Even though she had been unconscious for almost a week, Zoe looked exhausted. He knew that as well as recovering physically, she would have to start to deal with the emotional side of things, and he would be with her every step of the way.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! I promise the story will get more positive in the next couple of chapters, but I needed this one to build upto something. Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

Max looked over to Zoe who was now, finally, fast asleep. She had fallen asleep earlier on the evening, but had woken up screaming and drenched in a cold sweat only minutes later having had another nightmare. He couldn't forget how scared she had looked, how vulnerable, as she could only lie in the hospital bed and re-live the experience over and over.

Physically, she was starting to make small improvements but her body had taken several horrific beatings when she was attacked. Max knew that it would take her much longer to recover emotionally than it would for her physical injuries to heal; she had barely spoken since she woke up, except for occasionally in flashbacks or nightmares but he didn't mind. He would be there for her no matter what. He glanced over at her when he heard her whimper quietly at first, then louder; he could see her starting to get agitated so he gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. It worked and she immediately opened her eyes, looking around the small room that she was currently occupying in alarm, forgetting for a moment where she was before seeing Max and relaxing a little.

He noticed a tear rolling down her cheek and he smiled softly at her, wiping it away "Hey, ssh, ssh, its okay, I'm here. I'm right here" he soothed her "You're alright, you're safe" he said, stroking her hair "Good girl" he smiled as she started to calm herself but still keeping a tight grip on his hand.

Zoe quickly fell asleep again and soon after Connie came into the room, beckoning for him to follow her into the corridor when she noticed that she was sleeping "How is she?" she asked, glancing through the glass panel momentarily before turning her attention back to Max.

"Not great. She's woken up screaming and crying 4 or 5 times in the night, and again just now. She seems so different, she hasn't spoken yet either" he informed her; there hadn't really been that much of a change so there wasn't much to say.

Connie looked at him, a small yet sympathetic smile crossing her features as she spoke "Listen, Max, why don't you take some time out for a while? Go home, get a shower, something to eat?" she spoke quietly so as not to awaken her colleague.

"What if something happens?" he queried, if something did happen he wanted to know. She was still in ICU as she had only been awake for less than 8 hours and she needed to be monitored carefully.

"Then I'll call you and let you know" she said quickly "Oh, and if you see Cal on your travels, tell him I want a word with him next time I see him"

Max looked at her and smiled, her voice still had the usual stern and professional edge to it, and from the way she had raised her eyebrows and sighed he guessed that it wouldn't be for a friendly chat "Will do" he paused for a moment before adding "Connie?" before, he would have never have called her by her first name, but the circumstances were completely different.

"Mmm?"

"Thank you for everything you did, when…erm, you know…" his voice trailed off, not wanting to mention the incident itself.

Connie looked at him and nodded "My pleasure. I couldn't just leave her there, Max" she stopped momentarily before continuing "I know Zoe and I didn't exactly see eye to eye, but she's a colleague, and a brilliant doctor. I really hope that we can get along" she cut off abruptly, running a hand through her hair.

…

"Hi Zoe" Connie greeted her colleague as she entered the small room and took her usual seat next to her bed. Zoe opened her eyes briefly to acknowledge her presence then blinked rapidly several times, trying to keep her eyes open. Connie noticed this and half smiled at her "Its okay, you don't have to stay awake if you're tired. Max said that you didn't get much sleep last night"

Zoe looked at her, squinting a little as she tried to focus on her. Although she was lying down, she felt dizzy and had a headache as well. All she wanted to do was shut her eyes and try to get some sleep but every time that she closed her eyes she would see their faces and inevitably wake up crying or screaming moments later, alarming whoever happened to be with her at the time.

Connie saw that she was squinting and frowned "You got a headache?" Zoe gave a tiny nod and she glanced over to the monitor "Your pulse is a little high" she put the back of her hand on her forehead "and you're burning up. Right, I'll be back in a minute" she said, standing up and going out of the room to find a member of staff.

Zoe sighed; shutting her eyes to see if that would help to rid of her headache. She began to mutter something incomprehensible over and over as her mind took her back to a place and a time that she would rather forget.

_*Flashback*_

"_P-please, n-no. Stop, s-stop…" Zoe pleaded, thinking momentarily about how different her voice sounded, how much quieter and scared. _

_One man looked her in the eyes and grinned evilly at her, taking a piece of her hair and roughly twisted it through his fingers "I thought I told you to be quiet!" he hissed, punching her hard so that her head jolted backwards sharply, hitting the wall behind her from the force of his blow and making her feel dizzy and nauseous. _

_She attempted to move away from him, but another man was holding her down so that she couldn't escape. She was stuck. Zoe felt him run his hand over her body, pulling her dress up until it caught on a piece of broken glass on the ground, ripping it and then pulling her underwear down and rubbing his hand over his thigh, making her shudder. Suddenly she felt her head being pulled back by her hair before it once again made contact with the wall and knocking her unconscious as she fell into the blackness._

_*End flashback*_

She woke up crying and struggling to breathe. As the memory came back to her again, she retched, vomiting all over the pillows and the bedsheets. She started to cough harshly and turned her head to the side as she was sick again, tears running down her face as she realised that she was alone and there was no-one to help her. Knowing that she needed help, Zoe tried to shout but as soon as she opened her mouth she was sick again. The headache that she had increased and she felt herself getting hot as she fell into the blackness once more.

Connie walked back towards Zoe's room, a doctor and nurse following close behind her. Opening the door, the smell of vomit hit her straight away and she rushed over to the bed, quickly moving her into the recovery position and held her as still as she could to prevent her from injuring herself as she had started to fit uncontrollably "I need some help in here please!" she shouted down the corridor "Okay, Zoe, its okay" she said quietly "I don't know what happened, I came back into the room and she was fitting. She's been sick as well, and her breathing isn't good"

"Okay, thank you. We'll take over from here. Zoe? Can you hear me?" the doctor asked, shining a light into her eyes.

Connie spotted Max walking back towards the room and she quickly walked outside, guiding him away as she didn't want him to see Zoe in such a state "Max, you need to wait out here. Let them help her" she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder although she was shaking herself.

"W-what happened?" Max stuttered, looking desperately through the glass panel on the door to try and see what was happening.

"I don't know. She had a fever, I went to get a nurse and when I came back she was fitting and unconscious" Connie explained, as calmly as she could, watching as the young porter sank further down the wall until he was sat on the floor, staring at the pattern on it.

…

While Max had gone to the toilet and to clean himself up a bit, Connie sat with Zoe, being careful not to dislodge any of the wires "What are we going to do with you, eh?" she said softly, moving her hair out of her eyes "You gave me quite a fright when I came back into see you" the doctor's earlier speculation for keeping Zoe in ICU had been proved right; she had been awake for just less than 8 hours when her condition had started to deteriorate again, and they had had to sedate and intubate her again when she had been fitting as she had been unable to maintain her own airway. Her condition was once again critical, not quite as bleak as it had looked when she had first been brought in but still very serious "I'm sorry I left you, you shouldn't have had to be on your own"

Zoe had had another bleed on the brain and she'd had emergency surgery to stem it. It had been successful, but she needed to be kept sedated and intubated until the swelling had gone down. Hopefully that wouldn't take too long, Connie thought. She's been through enough already "Max should be here in a bit, in the meantime you're stuck with me. He really cares about you, Zoe. I do too, I'd really like us to get along. We'll both be here for you, and everyone in the ED will be too"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

Max sat next to Zoe's bed, his fingers entwined with hers as they had been for the past couple of hours since she had come back from theatre for the second time that night. When she was fitting, she had hit her head hard against the back of the bed, rupturing an already unstable blood vessel in her brain from the impact. It had looked as though the bleed had been stemmed until about an hour after her first operation of the evening when her stats deteriorated rapidly and she was rushed back to theatre. During the second operation, they noticed a few small bleeds which they had cauterised in order to stop them from becoming a problem. So far, things were looking hopeful.

The young porter let out a long breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding as he looked at her; her pretty face was littered with cuts, bruises and small lacerations as well as scars that hadn't yet begun to fade. She had been lucky to survive at all, and deep down Max had known that it would have been very unlikely for her just to wake up and have no complications. He couldn't stop looking at the mouthpiece that was holding the intubation tube in place; although her lung had practically healed, she hadn't been able to maintain her own airway whilst she had been fitting and she needed to be kept sedated and intubated until the swelling in her brain had gone down.

It was silent in the room apart from the noise of various machines and monitors, Max felt as though he had poured his heart out to her when she came back from surgery two hours ago. He had been so scared that he was going to lose her and words couldn't have described the relief that he had felt when he heard the news that she was stable.

…

Connie walked outside of the ED with no particular direction, and found herself stood in Zoe's smoking spot. Her gaze wandered over to the other side of the busy car park until it settled on a small group of men walking towards the hospital. Actually, more specifically, they were walking towards her "Can I help you?" she asked, her tone strong and confident.

"You know a Zoe Hanna?" one of them asked her bluntly, moving closer towards her.

"Why?"

"Just answer the bloody question!" he snarled, grabbing her wrist tightly and twisting it.

Connie glared at him, attempting to pull her wrist away but not managing it "Yes" she answered simply. The man nodded to his friend who came up behind her, grabbing her other arm and then cuffing her hands together behind her back "What are you doing? Let go…" she was cut off as a firm hand was clamped over her mouth, silencing her as he injected her in her upper arm. As she fell unconscious, he dragged her over to the far side of the railings where the maintenance door was located and secured the handcuffs there with a piece of rope before the three of them ran away.

…

Max gently squeezed Zoe's hand, letting her know that he was there with her before he started to speak "You had better start getting better soon, y'know. You can't keep scaring me like you did earlier! When you wake up, I'll be right here with you and I'll help you as much as I can. I just need you to get better so that you can wake up, and I can see your beautiful eyes again" he paused for a moment, smiling and kissing her hand as he held it "I love you, Zoe, I really do. I just want you to be better again"

…

Connie opened her eyes as the effects of the drug started to wear off and she looked around her to see where she was. She scowled when she realised that her hands were restrained behind her back and she was stuck there. She noticed Rita walking outside on her break and hit the metal cuffs against the railings in order to attract her attention.

It worked, and Rita rushed over, kneeling down in front of her "Mrs. Beauchamp! Are you alright? What happened?" she said quickly, looking around she spotted what she was looking for. She picked up the silver key and frowned when she noticed a used needle lying on the ground. Rita quickly used the key to unlock the handcuffs, then gently eased them off of her wrists, apologising when she saw her wince in pain.

Connie cradled her injured wrist as she slowly stood up, smiling at the nurse "Thank you Rita"

"Do you want me to take a look at that wrist for you?" Rita offered quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the situation.

"Thank you but no, it's just sprained. I've got a support bandage in my bag…listen…"

"I won't say a word, not if you don't want me to, but if this could be anything to do with what happened to Zoe then you might want to let the police know about it on the quiet" Rita said, quickly placing the items in a small plastic bag and handing it to Connie who put it in her pocket "the gloves won't have left any fingerprints, so the evidence should still be there"

"Oh, I don't know. It might be, but I don't know. I'll let the police know and if they think there's any link then we'll have to warn the staff" Connie replied quietly "Thank you" she said before heading back inside and over to the lift.

Walking along the corridor of ICU, Connie sighed. The man had asked her if she knew Zoe, when she had said yes he had grabbed her. She shook her head, she would go to the police station later and fill them in, but right now she was going to see how Zoe was doing.

…

Max looked up when he heard the door click open and then shut again. He smiled at Connie as she walked over, then looked back to Zoe "What happened to your wrist?" he asked.

She shook her head slightly, indicating her colleague "Doesn't matter. I'll tell you later"

Max caught on to what she meant and nodded before kissing Zoe's hand and then exiting the room.

"Hello again. How are you doing miss?" Connie smiled, taking the woman's hand in hers, and then pulling away slightly "You're a bit cold Zoe" just then a nurse walked in to check on her and Connie called over to her "Excuse me? Zoe seems quite cold, her body temperature has dropped a little as well…"

"Oh okay, I'll set up some warmed saline…" whilst she got that, Connie grabbed another blanket from the cupboard and tucked it in around her. The nurse came back shortly afterwards and attached the bag of fluids "There, that should help to warm you up a bit, Zoe. I'll come back and see you later, okay? If you need anything else then just press the red button there" she smiled, leaving them alone.

"Thank you" Connie returned the smile briefly before turning her attention back to her colleague "That's better, you're starting to feel warmer already. The staff up here are doing a good job of looking after you since you've been here" she paused, swallowing hard and glancing down at her wrist "Whoever did this to you won't get away it, Zoe. I'll make sure of that. If the circumstances were different, I know you wouldn't stand for it either; that's what makes you such a good doctor, you care about your patients. Believe me, when we find out who is responsible, they will wish that they had never been born. There is absolutely no way they are going to get away with this"

Hearing a loud crash and cursing coming from outside, she walked swiftly over to the nurse who had come in "We need security, now" she said quietly, indicating the scene that was now unfolding in the corridor "I'll be right back, Zoe"

As she heard security approaching, she headed out into the corridor "Let go of him" she demanded, moving Max to one side as the man released his grip. Leaning back slightly, she coughed, he stank of alcohol.

"She's in there isn't she?" he yelled, staggering towards the door just as a security guard ran upto them, grabbing him "I don't think so, mate. I think the police would like a word with you, and you two as well. As it happens, they're here with me"

"You bitch!" he screamed "I'm not done with you! Just you wait, I'll track you down, finish what I should have started…"

Connie sighed, if Zoe could hear all this she would be frightened "Max, go and sit with her" raising her voice to be heard over the ranting she added "Make sure that she knows that this _scum_ will be in custody, awaiting trial" as he headed into the room, she turned back towards the man that earlier attacked her "You won't be doing anything to her when you're locked in a police cell where you belong, the lot of you" Connie nodded at one police officer, it was the same woman who had taken her statement the night of the incident "You know where I am if you need anything…right now, can you just get them out of here before I do something I regret? Thank you"

"Thank you Connie, I don't think this lot will be walking free anytime soon, especially seeing as a member of staff has been assaulted. We'll be in touch"

Walking back into Zoe's room, Connie ran a hand through her hair, and went over to Max "Are you alright?" he nodded and she smiled "Sorry about all the noise, Zoe. The police have taken them away now. They won't get away with it"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

_3 days later…_

Rita sat next to the bed of her former boss, holding her hand and hoping that she knew she was there with her. She looked at her, smiling to herself as memories came back to her.

Every now and then Zoe would grimace, her eyes tightly screwed up before her face relaxed again. Rita noticed the older doctor screwing up her eyes and squeezed her hand a little tighter, talking to her "Its okay, Zoe" she attempted to soothe her, not knowing whether she could hear her or not. She looked up when the door opened and Connie came in "I'd better go, my shift starts in 20 minutes. I'll see you soon, Zoe" Rita said quietly, exiting the room.

"Morning Zoe" Connie greeted her, taking her usual seat next to her colleague's bed "Are you planning on waking up anytime soon? I bet you're getting sick of hospitals aren't you?"

Zoe could hear Connie talking and she attempted to open her eyes, coughing a little "Okay, just take it easy. You're in hospital, Zoe, ICU" she heard the lead consultant explain as she managed to open her eyes and look at her, although her vision was blurred at first "Hello" Connie smiled "Welcome back"

Zoe half smiled back at her "W-what h-happened?" she stuttered, looking around the room and gritting her teeth as she felt a wave of pain wash over her.

"I think you're probably due your pain relief" Connie stated, pressing the small button which would release a small dose of morphine into her system "You had to have emergency surgery, Zoe. Two, to be precise. You started fitting, hit your head on the back of the bed and the impact caused several blood vessels to burst. You were unconscious for a day or two until the swelling went down"

Zoe reached her hand up to touch the bandage that was wrapped around her head "Th-thank you" she said, coughing slightly as she did so "I know it was you who f-found m-me" she explained, her voice wavering on the last couple of words.

"You're welcome" Connie paused for a moment, thinking carefully about what to say next "Oh, and you'll be glad to know that they have caught the scum that did this to you. They are in police custody as we speak. The police will want a statement from you about what happened that night when you're feeling better"

Zoe subconsciously gripped onto her colleague's hand tightly, screwing up her eyes in an attempt to remove the images from her mind. Connie looked at her, sighing when she noticed that her eyes were glazed over, knowing that she was having a flashback.

_*Flashback*_

_Zoe felt rough hands pinning her to the ground, holding her still despite her cries and pleas to them to stop. One of them trod deliberately on the fingers of her right hand, crushing them and smirking as she cried out in pain._

"_Pl-please" Zoe begged, her voice barely audible as she tasted blood in her mouth "No, n-no" she writhed around on the cold ground, trying to move herself out of their grip._

"_Sorry love, what was that?" one of them mocked, clamping his hand firmly over her mouth "You like it, want us to stay and carry on?" he got off of her and stood up, hauling her into a sitting position although she could barely hold herself up "Open your eyes!" he demanded._

_Zoe obeyed him, shakily, too scared of what they might do to her if she refused. She looked into his eyes, and felt bile rising up from the pit of her stomach as she did so. She felt a cold blade being pressed against her stomach and she gasped in agony as it penetrated the skin and soft tissue, sending blood everywhere before the man kicked her and she fell onto her side, hitting her head on the ground as she blacked out._

_*End flashback*_

"Zoe? Zoe its Connie" Connie said gently but firmly, placing an oxygen mask over her face "I need you to open your eyes" she said, just as there was a knock on the door and Max walked in, rushing over to Zoe when he noticed she was awake.

"Zoe! Zo, what's wrong?" he asked her quickly, concern evident in his voice. On hearing Max begin to speak, Zoe's eyes shot open and she reached out her arms to him, silently asking him to hold her and to look after her. He pushed down one side of the bed and sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her trembling frame as tears ran down her face "Its okay, its all gonna be okay" he whispered, kissing her and stroking her hair.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N thank you for all the lovely reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! This chapter will focus mainly on Zoe and Connie, Zax and other characters more so soon. Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

Zoe stared up at the ceiling of the hospital room that she was currently occupying in HDU, she had been moved from ICU when she had showed signs of recovery although they still wanted to keep her in hospital to monitor her progress. Max had just left as his shift started soon, but he had promised to come back and see her as soon as he got a chance.

She hadn't been short of visitors. Tess, Sam, Tom, Martin, Charlie, Robyn, Dixie, Polly, Jeff, Connie and Max amongst others had been in to see her. Aside from Max and Connie, Rita had been the most frequent visitor but she appeared to be slightly on edge the last couple of times that she had come to see her. Zoe tapped her fingernails on the wooden table that was next to the bed, frowning. Why _had _she been so jumpy, so on edge? If anyone should be jumpy and on edge at the moment, it should be her.

_*Flashback*_

"_He-help me. Please! Someone please h-help m-me!" Zoe shouted as loudly as she could before lapsing into an uncontrollable coughing fit, hoping that someone would hear her, even in the torrential rain._

"_Hello?" she heard a voice say, her tone edged with caution and concern as a bright yellow light suddenly filled the small alleyway, illuminating her shivering frame. She listened as she heard footsteps come towards her._

"_H-he-help" Zoe repeated, fear and relief filling her mind as she suddenly realised who had found her as the woman knelt down in front of her, pressing a wad of cloth onto her stomach and talking to her quietly, although she wasn't really taking any of it in._

"_I'm going to help you Zoe" those words brought her out of her almost trance like state and she looked at Connie. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. She had stopped to help her, and she hadn't walked away when she had found out who she was._

_She was barely aware of the tears that were rolling freely down her face; she was already drenched from head to foot anyway due to the heavy torrential rain "I-I'm…" Zoe stammered, feeling herself getting weaker and weaker as the seconds passed but desperate to get her point across "s-sorry" she just about managed to say the second word before she started coughing violently._

_Realising that she was struggling to breathe, Connie removed the jacket that was around her shoulders and placed it underneath her head which seemed to help somewhat "What for?" she said, smiling genuinely at her "It's in the past, Zoe. Let's leave it there, yeah? Right now, let's concentrate on getting you into hospital so you can get better"_

_*End flashback*_

Zoe sighed, wiping away a stray tear as the memory came back to her. She looked up as there was a knock at the door "Yep!" she shouted, giving her permission for whoever was outside to come in.

"Hi Zoe" Connie's voice quickly filled the room, her tone strong and confident, but not without concern or compassion, either "How are you?" she asked, taking a seat next to her bed.

Zoe looked at her, giving her a small smile before starting to speak "Oh, you know. I'm getting there. Slowly" she paused for a moment, unsure of how to phrase what she wanted to say next.

Connie returned the smile, then lowered her gaze to the floor, sensing the tension. Whatever Zoe wanted to say to her must be important, she thought. She waited patiently, placing her hands in her lap before once again making eye contact with her colleague.

"I know I've already said thank you hundreds of times, but I wanted to apologise as well"

"Apologise?" the lead consultant repeated, confusion apparent in her features "What for?"

"For being such…such a cow when you first started in the ED. I should have been nicer to you" she said "I-I guess I felt threatened, almost. That sounds so stupid, doesn't it? Anyway, I guess that I felt threatened by someone new coming in, wanting the job that had been mine for so long" Zoe admitted, slightly embarrassed but knowing that it needed to be said.

Connie chuckled slightly, gaining a bemused look from Zoe "You don't have to apologise for that, Zoe. I could have been nicer to you as well. A lot nicer and a lot more professional" she paused, giving the woman chance to take in what she had said before continuing "You're a brilliant consultant, Zoe, and an even better doctor. Just because you don't want all the paperwork and hassles of Clinical Lead, doesn't mean we can't get along"

"I'd like for us to be able to get along" Zoe said, smiling "You must have been here every day since I've been in here, and in ICU. That shows you care"

Connie smiled back at her, taking in what she had said "I'd like that, too. I think we'll make a great team"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! Sorry its so short but I wanted to put a bit of Zax fluff into this, hope you all like it **** Enjoy and please read and review! Xx **

Zoe looked up at the ceiling from her hospital bed, absentmindedly noting that the paint was starting to peel off in places and a couple of tiny cracks were starting to form. Normally she wouldn't notice details that were as minute as these were, but then again she had spent a lot of time in that hospital room, in that bed so she had looked up at the ceiling on numerous occasions and to be honest it was getting quite boring to look at so she was always glad of someone coming into visit her.

…

"Connie?" Zoe asked her colleague quietly "Do you have a mirror I could borrow?" part of her regretted the words as soon as she had spoken them, another part of her was almost glad that she had said it, she needed to see herself.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Connie replied after a short pause "You haven't seen yourself since the accident…" her voice tailed off when Zoe nodded and she handed her the small mirror that she kept in her bag.

Zoe was silent for a few minutes as she took in the reflection from the mirror that she presumed was her own; she looked so different. Her attention kept getting drawn back to one particular feature, the long, jagged scar that ran from the middle of her forehead to the top of her right earlobe. She snapped the mirror shut, not wanting to look at herself for any longer than she had to.

…

Not long after Connie had left, Max came in to see her, carrying a big bunch of colourful flowers "Hey babe. How're you doing?" he asked her, going and sitting next to her on the bed and kissing her.

Zoe kissed him back before pulling away from him, receiving confused looks from Max as she leant back on the pillows and folding her arms tightly across her body "Thank you, for the flowers, they're gorgeous…" she said, almost timidly as tears started to rapidly cascade down her face, spilling onto her top.

"Like you" he grinned, and then on spotting her tears, he added "You're welcome, but what's the matter? Zoe? Why are you crying?" when she didn't answer straight away he simply enveloped her in a tight hug, holding her close to him until she had stopped crying and calmed herself down enough to be able to speak coherently and explain to him what was wrong.

"I-I don't know…well, I do, of course I do, but it sounds so stupid" she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear what she had said.

"It won't sound stupid" he reassured her, reaching across the bed and taking her hand in his "Tell me, I want to help"

"I don't look beautiful, I can't stand the way I look right now…that scar looks so…so ugly! Why do you stay with me?" she sobbed, but clinging to him at the same time as if begging him to stay with her.

"I stay with you because I love you, Zoe. You don't look ugly. I think you look beautiful, no matter what you say and nothing will change how I see you. You'll always be gorgeous to me"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx**

Facing her demons had so far turned out to be harder than Zoe could have ever imagined and she sometimes wondered if she would ever forget what had happened to her.

Her first walk out of HDU and into the ED hadn't gone quite as smoothly as she had hoped it would, to say the least…

_5 hours earlier…_

Zoe sat up eagerly, waiting for Connie so that she could finally get out of HDU for a while and back to the place that she knew and loved before all this happened. Checking the time on her watch, she glanced around the room and sighed quietly to herself. Before she had time to dwell on any thoughts that dared to enter her mind, there was a knock at the already open door and Connie came into the room, a small smile crossing her features for a moment.

"Ready?" she asked her, grabbing her crutches that were leaning against the wall on the other side of the bed.

Zoe nodded "Let's go! I must be getting due a change of scenery" she joked, laughing.

"Right, there you go" Connie said, handing the crutches to her colleague and making sure she was steady before they began to exit the room and make their way towards the lift.

As the lift beeped to say that they were at the ED and the doors opened, a crowd of people suddenly flocked around the now open, all talking at once and saying how good it was to see her back. Zoe was overwhelmed by all the attention and the amount of people after having spent so long away from the ED. As the jumbled conversations suddenly stopped, she spotted the face of someone familiar. She couldn't pinpoint who it was but her brain was telling her to steer well clear of the man "Thank you, all of you, but you please let me get out of the lift now please?" Zoe laughed, quickly masking the concern that had showed on her features a few moments before.

Connie led her through to their shared office, and then went and sat down, knowing that her colleague would need some space for a few minutes.

Zoe's mind was racing, thoughts flying around her head at top speed and crashing into each other. Who was that man? She had recognised him, and vice versa, but how?

"No…no, it can't be him, it can't be" Zoe muttered to herself, causing Connie to look up from the file she was reading and over to the consultant.

Before she had chance to ask if she was alright, Zoe was reaching for her crutches and trying to stand up.

**A/N cliffhanger! Don't often use them, but thought would give it a try. Who is the man? And how does she know him? Not fully thought out the next chapter so if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx**

"Zoe? Zoe, where are you going?" Connie asked as she noticed the consultant reaching for her crutches.

Zoe ignored her as she stood up, making sure that she had gotten her balance properly before starting to exit the room "Zoe!" Connie called after her, standing up as well.

"Leave it, Connie!" she snapped, not even bothering to turn around to face her colleague. The only thing on her mind was getting out of the department, that was the only thing that she could focus on.

She decided to use the quieter exit out of the department, to avoid the stares and questions that she really couldn't be doing with at that moment in time. She needed time and space away from other people that she knew.

…

Zoe sat on a bench around the corner from the ED, still in the hospital grounds but away from prying eyes. Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to her, a man was watching her, the same man that she had seen earlier and she had been so keen to get away from.

She only became aware of his presence as she heard footsteps coming towards her and she looked up, only to find herself looking at the person that she least wanted to see.

"What do you want?" she spat, recognising him instantly now that they were face to face.

"I-I wanted to apologise" the man stuttered slightly, but covered it quickly "I won't insult your intelligence by asking why you walked away from me earlier"

Zoe laughed, though the edge to it was filled by sarcasm and bitterness rather than humour "Walked? You call that walking? Without these crutches, I can't walk; the muscle and ligament damage was too severe. They don't know how long it will take to heal completely, or even if it ever will!"

The man looked down to the gravel that had been placed over the muddy area to make it more stable, people's footprints imprinted into it, guilt shadowing his strong features "I-I'm sorry. I know that it isn't enough, how could it be?"

"Too right it isn't enough! You, you stood there and watched them attack me, rape me! You just stood there and didn't do anything apart from shine your bloody torch into the alleyway so they could see better! You're as bad as they are!" with that, Zoe grabbed her crutches and went to stand up, swaying slightly as she tried to keep her balance.

The man grabbed her arm in an attempt to steady her but she shook him off harshly, only succeeding in worsening her balance "Let go of me! Don't you dare touch me!" she screamed, quickly gaining the attention of Connie who had rushed outside on hearing the commotion.

Connie approached them quickly, helping her colleague to regain her balance and placing her hand on her shoulder "Right, I don't know who you are and I have a strong suspicion that I want to know in case I do something that I regret. What I do suggest, however, is that you remove yourself from this hospital and its premises before I call the police" she spoke calmly, yet there was an underlying tone of venom in her voice.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N thank you for all the reviews, comments, follows and favourites so far! Sorry it's so short! Enjoy and please read and review! Xx**

Zoe watched as the man walked away from them, out of the hospital car park and onto the pavement without so much as a backwards glance. Lost in thought, she had almost forgotten that Connie was still outside, although now sat on the nearby wall in order to give her colleague some space.

"Zoe? Zoe, come on, it's freezing out here" Connie said, walking back over towards her. The current weather conditions looked very similar to those of the night that she had found her in the alleyway she thought, as she placed an arm around her shoulders, guiding her towards the hospital entrance just as it started to pour down with rain.

Once they were both back in the safety of their shared office, away from prying eyes, Connie began to speak again "Don't waste your time and breath on a man like him, Zoe. He is so not worth it"

Zoe looked over to her, half smiling before she replied "No, I guess you're right. Why did he even bother coming back to apologise? He shone his bloody torch into the alleyway so that they could see better! He helped them" she shuddered, glancing around the room "He _helped _them. How could he do that?" Zoe stopped, catching her breath and trying to remain calm as a tear slipped down her cheek "H-he wasn't with the rest of them at first, he came later…" she stopped, having quickly given up on regaining her composure as she let the tears fall down her face in rapid succession as her body shook.

Connie sighed to herself as she got up from her chair and went over to where Zoe was sitting, crouching down next to her "Hey, come on. He's scum, Zoe, just like the rest of them. You need to forget about him, move on" she spoke confidently, even though she knew all too well that that was easier said than done.


End file.
